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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. ground — a position
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — crushed
  9. board — a committee
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ground — the earth
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. craft — boats
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kid — child
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com